Raindrops on Roses
by Kimmy Malfoy
Summary: Kathryn gets a secret admirer... not as silly as it sounds JC


Raindrops on Roses…  
  
By: Kim  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek : Voyager, or the characters… they are Paramount's   
  
The stars floated past the view port as Kathryn Janeway stared aimlessly at the shiny white spots. She was utterly bored, three weeks and no action, no Borg, no Kazon, nothing. She shifted in her seat and sighed. She twisted to the side and crossed her legs and resumed staring out the view port. There was enough silence to hear a pin drop. What was with everyone? Was the journey finally getting to them? She looked over at her first officer; he was reading something… Tom was drumming his fingers on the console and it was driving her nuts. She made a rather large sigh and rolled her eyes just as Chakotay looked up at her disgusted expression. He interrupted her thoughts. "Something wrong Captain?" She wanted to smack him fro disturbing her, and they were only two hours into duty. Tuvok was fixed on the screen and Harry's foot could be heard tapping in rhythm to Tom's finger drumming. Kathryn groaned louder than she had expected. "Captain?" Chakotay looked up again and smiled that ridiculously large dimpled smile and Kathryn's knees felt weak. Not again she thought. Not again! She quirked a smile back at him, unable to fight his smile. She cursed herself: damn it Kathryn, he's just so irresistible!   
  
She twisted to look at him and replied: "Nothing Commander…" and there it was again, that brilliant smile. She needed to go to her ready room, it was suddenly getting very warm on the bridge and she could feel the color in her cheeks rising. She covered her cheeks with her cold hands and leaned forward, hoping he wouldn't notice her sudden rush of color. She leaned back into her chair, once her face had cooled down, and noticed that the exotically handsome man sitting next to her was once again engrossed in whatever he was reading. Tom had ceased his tapping and was now humming the old earth tune "Jingle Bells", and it was then that Kathryn realized that it was a mere ten days till the crew's anniversary of the union between Maquis and Starfleet. That meant two things, a massive party amd lots of presents, which meant that it was time for the senior staff gift giving tradition. And that meant that Chakotay would be giving her a gift, making it even harder for her to obey protocol and not throw him and against a bulkhead and kiss him till neither of them could breathe. That would be one hell of a present…she thought. "Pardon me Captain?" He heard her; she couldn't believe she had muttered that allowed… She sighed again and swiftly excused herself from her chair and nearly ran to her ready room out of embarrassment.   
  
  
  
She moved quickly to her chair, she had an inkling that he would promptly follow her and question why she had left and what she had said. She rested her hand against her cheek and absent mindedly tapped the consul in front of her. Sure enough the door beeped and he entered. She offered him coffee, but he declined, she sat on the couch next to him as his hand brushed against her thigh as he sat next to her. Her leg twitched and she sat on it as Chakotay began talking, She didn't really listen to him as he talked about Tom and B'Elanna, she just watched his lips move and she daydreamed about New Earth, and other such wonderful moments, when she knew that she was able to be Kathryn with him, and only him. She chastised herself for being so stupid and childlike, but all of a sudden, he started to talk about gifts and the party and before she knew it, she had accepted his invitation and kissed him on the cheek. As she watched her handsome Indian leave the room, she groaned at her stupidity.   
  
  
  
That night, Kathryn walked briskly to her quarters; she was tired and longed for a goodnight's rest before an extra long day tomorrow. So many reports, so little…she laughed allowed, she had seventy years to read the crew evaluations, and yet… She entered her quarters and ordered the lights to come on. It's like magic, she mussed, all this technology…She aimlessly strolled into her bedroom and there upon her bed lay a single white rose. She lifted it up and under it was a short, handwritten note… "I'm glad that we're friends…" It wasn't signed and as she lifted it in the dim light, in an attempt to recognize the handwriting a distinct scent tickled her nose. She knew that scent, it was… Chakotay's cologne. She lifted the paper to her nose and let the scent drift around her. She clutched the note in her hand as she fell asleep.   
  
  
  
The next morning, she walked into her ready room to find a pink peace rose. Again, a note, and again Chakotay's cologne, the note this time, read "And the angry warrior knew the true meaning of peace." As she walked back onto the bridge, he flashed a bright smile at her and she struggled to keep her knees from buckling. She sat down with a sharp intake of breath, and Chakotay looked over at her. "Captain?" She leaned toward him on her elbow and whispered thanks for the flowers. She could have sworn that Tom and Harry had been straining to hear their conversation. She smiled at their childlike nature and watched the stars fly past the view port.   
  
  
  
In the mess hall that night, she sat and talked with her comrades and laughed about the days that had passed, but her thoughts kept flowing back to the roses, she excused herself and decided that a bit of sleep would help clear her head. It was seven days till the party.

The night of the anniversary ball she stood in front of the mirror. She was as nervous as a school girl. Every night for the last nine days she had received a rose and a flower, increasingly darker in color. They sat on her table with the notes, in a carefully arranged pile. She examined her dress in the mirror. The long emerald gown was touched with small hints of silver as it graced the floor gently. It lay off her shoulders pooling in a small train of green and silver a few centimeters behind her. She touched her neck and rearranged the diamond and emerald choker that kissed her neck and moved in a train of glistening emeralds just above her collarbone. She touched her hair to make sure the curls held, and lay in their exact place. She smiled at herself. "You clean up pretty well Kathryn Janeway…" Chakotay entered her room as she moved away from the mirror to look at him. "Captain, Kathryn… you look, stunning." Chakotay looked exceedingly handsome, more so than usually, the tuxedo suited him well, and she smiled a crooked grin at him and kissed his cheek. "My, my commander, don't we look handsome." She inhaled his perfume and took his arm. From behind his back he produced a single red rose. She looked quizzically at him. "Chakotay?" He held onto her hand, and kissed it, giving her the rose. "Kathryn, with this flower I give you my heart. Only this time, don't turn away from me like you did on New Earth, don't shy away from my touch, Kathryn, don't go where I can't follow! I can't carry your burden Kathryn, but I can carry you*" He lifted her off the ground and kissed her gently. Kathryn shoved his head against hers and drank him in. They kissed till neither of them could breathe, he gently released her to the ground and she pulled his head to hers and kissed his forehead. "I won't turn you away my love. I can't any more in fact I never really could." They smiled at each other and left for the party. Won't the crew be surprised! Kathryn smiled inwardly. "I so glad I met you five years ago…" Chakotay had whispered into her ear. "This is the best present ever Kathryn…" She bit back a laugh. To bad there wasn't a bulkhead!


End file.
